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After the news of his death spread his family, friends and former colleagues all remembered him fondly.

'Jim Simmon, my friend, my former editor, fellow product of 1954, fellow kayaker, an irascible blessing to Texas who could say a funny lot with a grunt and write like a Hunter S Thompson of the Gulf Coast,' his longtime friend Alan Bernstein wrote online.

He continued: '[Jim] is lost to us now on a permanent basis, and, I hope, is enjoying perpetual roots music in another sphere.'

The father-of-two was last seen on August 30 when he left home in a Houston Astros cap to get a coffee at his favorite shop down the street. he is pictured lounging in a Hammock, years before his death

Jim got into Journalism after he finished his master's degree at Ameircan University in Washington, DC. His longtime friend Alan Bernstein described him as 'gruff and funny' and a great editor

Bernstein said that Jim, who is originally from Louisiana, was gruff and funny, and got into journalism after finishing his master's at American University in Washington, DC.

He described his friend as a 'little big of James Dean, a little bit of Jack Kerouac.'

The Chronicle's Senior Editor Tony Freemantle said everyone at the paper is saddened by the news of their former colleague.

'We remember him for his sharp wit, his commitment to facts and the truth, and his dedication to holding those in power accountable,' Freemantle said.

'He was a very good man. Our thoughts are with his family and his many friends.'